The Vice-Chancellor's Distinguished Lecture Series – Professor Sarah Churchwell

Sarah Churchwell is Professorial Fellow in American Literature and Chair of Public Understanding of the Humanities at the School of Advanced Study, University of London, and one of the UK’s most prominent public intellectuals and cultural critics.

A renowned specialist in American literature and culture, she appears regularly on current affairs and cultural programmes such as Question Time, Newsnight and the Review Show, and writes for national and international newspapers such as The Guardian and Financial Times. She is the author of ‘The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe’ and ‘Careless People: Murder, Mayhem and the Invention of The Great Gatsby’. Her most recent work ‘Behold, America: A History of the American Dream and America First’ argues that the meanings and history of these terms need to be understood afresh so that the true spirit of America can be reclaimed.

This lecture forms part of ‘The Vice-Chancellor’s Distinguished Lecture Series,’ which aims to reflect on the major social, scientific, cultural and policy issues of our time.

[afkfromk]

So few viewers, incredible, every living person should listening to her

[currawong]

I must listen to this again...and probably again. There is so much to know in this speech and so much to remember. All a valuable lesson.

[eckdavid]

This video is one of the hidden jewel of youtube. I learned so much!

This lecture deserves a lot more attention! THX for uploading.

[hisbigal]

This lecture should be shown in high schools, and her books should be required reading.

[johne.felbinger]

A stunning compilation and interpretation of American culture.
Churchwell's presentation has additional implications for racism and anti-immigrant sentiment in the ante-bellum North as well as the South. In the 1840's and 1850's there was significant immigration from Ireland and the German states to the United States. These immigrants were not of Anglo-Saxon stock (clearly), and their ways and customs (and languages) were to be looked down upon and despised, in addition to any inherent nativist tribalism. When the Civil War came, Northern authorities were eager to tap into the vast manpower pool of immigrants to enlarge the Federal armies. In turn, the Irish and the Germans represent significant cadres of the Northern military effort. And the immigrants were quite eager to support their new country (and to fight against the "Anglo-Saxons", who were seen as oppressive). Of course, that the Irish and Germans supporting the Northern war effort were not automatically any more beloved by the northern Anglo-Saxons opposing the southern Anglo-Saxons suggests how pervasive the common culture of the ante-bellum United States was, according to Churchwell's presentation. Illuminating and enlightening.

[richarddeese]

Thanks. Quite an enlightening education in the space of an hour! I'm 57, and even though I've sought out much history in this very vein, I learned more here than in any dozen other (much longer) lectures. "...this kind of mystic nationalism always liberates itself from the tyranny of facts" is a succinct quote worth engraving. In my own life, I've noticed something to which you call attention: namely, the idea that a very successful strategy seems to be to accuse someone else - especially opponents and/or victims - of whatever it is you're actually doing, in order to distract people. Here in the U.S., we're seeing Republicans do this every single day. They've become the mouthpieces of fascism. They're unapologetic apologists for the very worst ideas of the alt-right, Christian nationalism / dominionism, vicious & predatory capitalism at any price, and, of course, white supremacy. Here in summer 2022, we're still heading to a very, very bad and dangerous place. And we're not the only ones. Orwell's ghost cries out. tavi.

[carmenonea]

Truth has just one version and it will liberate us

[mcsmith]

Really amazing breakdown about how long fascism has been cycling through U.S. history.
Of course, this kind of history would be called "critical race theory" today. And something that we can't allow in schools.

[adamkiidumae]

How can there be no comments on this video two years after posting? It’s obviously worth discussing/extorting

[moebees]

She is incorrect. The ngram viewer is not random. If it were random it could be used the way she uses it. But since it is not random it is flawed analysis to utilize it in the way she does.

[rwnmg]

They do know that the Anglo-Saxons have been conquered by Normands right? Which were French people xD